Dolton Firefighter Lawrence Matthews, who died in the line of duty in June 2017, will be recognized during the 37th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service on Oct. 7. He is one of 80 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2017 who will be honored in Emmitsburg, Md.

Matthews died after collapsing while assisting during a fire at a mobile home park in Harvey. He had served on the Dolton Fire Department since 2009, and is survived by his wife and four children.

Although Matthews was on light duty due to medical issues, he had been cleared to return to work and fight fires. Matthews died just days after celebrating the 10th anniversary of his heart transplant.

There is a plaque at the Dolton fire station in tribute to Matthews. There is also a street in the village named in his honor.

At the national memorial, the names of Matthews and the other fallen firefighters will be read as their families receive an American flag that has been flown above the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the U.S. Capitol. Family members will also be presented with a red rose and a personalized badge. During the ceremony, a bronze plaque bearing the names of the fallen will be officially added to the memorial.

The service begins at 9 a.m. (Central Daylight Time) Oct. 7 at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg. The firefighters will also be remembered in a candlelight service at 5:30 pm. (CDT) Oct. 6 at the same location.

“Memorials are created so there will always be a special place to remember and honor our loved ones. In 1981, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial was created to pay tribute to these men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Dennis Compton, chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Board of Directors. “Everyone who visits the memorial pauses to not only honor the fallen firefighters, but to also honor the strength and courage of their loved ones.”

Members of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus will present 103 American flags that were flown over the U.S. Capitol to the NFFF during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) Oct. 4 in the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building. The flags will be displayed in the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel until the memorial service on Oct. 7 when they will be presented to the families.

More than 5,000 people, including family, friends, firefighters, members of Congress and administration officials are expected to attend the Oct. 7 service. Firefighter honor guards and pipe & drum units from across the United States will participate in the national remembrance.

NFFF will provide a satellite feed and streaming of ceremonies along with video of events for downloading, courtesy of VISTA Worldlink.

Brandon Dyer, a 19-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department who has served as Dolton’s part-time fire code inspector for the past two years, was appointed acting fire chief Monday night following the resignation of Pete McCain.

Mayor Riley Rogers said Dyer would work between 24 and 30 hours per week at an hourly rate commensurate to a $90,000 annual salary while maintaining his full-time role with the Chicago Fire Department. Unlike the outgoing chief — a full-time employee who receives health and pension benefits — Dyer will receive neither.

His appointment is expected to save the cash-strapped village approximately $72,000 annually on the chief’s position.

McCain, who had served as Dolton’s fire chief since May 2015, will remain with the department as a fire engineer and training, safety and fire prevention officer. He said that he was excited about his new role with the department, but acknowledged that he felt bittersweet about the move.

In addition to the line-of-duty death of Dolton firefighter Lawrence Matthews in June, the former chief said he’s dealt with the deaths of his best friend, a Troy firefighter, and a retired firefighting mentor this year.

McCain’s role change will allow the department to reduce overtime costs an estimated $34,800 to $81,000 annually by adding another body to the staff.

There is no prohibition on firefighters working second jobs and, in fact, fire department employees are not even required to report secondary employment, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said.

Dyer, who will have 20 years with the department in February, made lieutenant in April 2013 and was brought on as Dolton’s fire code inspector in 2015.

Dyer said that as fire code inspector he’s also worked with local schools to reinstate the practice of holding fire drills with the fire department.

The date Sept. 9 always held special significance for Lawrence Matthews. It was his birthday, his first day as a Dolton firefighter and this year, it will become the day a village street is rededicated in his honor.

Dolton on Saturday will rename the portion of Park Avenue that runs past Fire Station No. 1 Firefighter Lawrence Matthews Way and unveil a plaque designed in honor of the eight-year department veteran who died in the line of duty in June.

The public ceremony, which will be attended by village officials, area firefighters and Matthews’ family and friends, starts at 12:30 p.m. in front of the fire station, 14022 Park Ave.

“We want to honor Lawrence, his wife, his kids, his entire family, and we want to be able to show that his legacy was for the community,” Dolton Fire Chief Steven McCain said. “That’s part of our mission statement — having a community orientated fire department — and Lawrence fit that bill to a ‘T’ with his own passion to the community.” He said Matthews’ death had been devastating for the Dolton fire department and questioned whether it could ever fully recover from the loss.

Matthews, a heart transplant recipient, went into cardiac arrest and died while fighting a house fire in Harvey on June 10. Matthews, who is survived by his wife Rachel, their three young kids and two stepchildren, was sworn in as a Dolton firefighter in 2009 — with the blessing of his doctors — just two years after receiving a new heart.

Lawrence Matthews died doing what he loved. The dedicated Dolton firefighter collapsed Saturday afternoon while battling a fire in neighboring Harvey.

Matthews went into cardiac arrest and was taken to Ingalls Memorial Hospital, but never regained consciousness, and was pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m.

Chicago and suburban police officers and firefighters saluted the ambulance carrying Matthews’ body in a solemn procession to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Matthews, 35, was a husband and father of four, who had been with the Dolton Fire Department since 2009.

Dolton firefighters had been called in to assist the Harvey Fire Department on Saturday, after multiple mobile homes caught fire near 150th and Maplewood. Officials said Matthews was on the sidewalk after arriving at the scene when he went into cardiac arrest.

Matthews was a heart transplant recipient who had defied the odds to become a firefighter. Just two years after he received his new heart at the University of Chicago Hospital, Matthews became a firefighter with the blessing of his doctors.

An autopsy of a Dolton firefighter who died in the line of duty was performed Sunday, but a determination for the cause of his death was still pending, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Firefighter Lawrence Matthews, 35, of Glenwood, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest after battling a blaze at a mobile home Saturday in Harvey. He was transported to Ingalls Memorial Hospital, and pronounced dead at 3:15 p.m.

Matthews was the recipient of a heart transplant in 2007 at the University of Chicago Hospital. Doctors approved his working as a firefighter after he passed a physical, and in 2009 he was sworn in.

The mobile home near 150th Street and Rockwell Avenue was destroyed in the fire.